County sets immunization goals help will be needed to achieve
May 12, 2021 at 8:50 p.m.
County sets immunization goals help will be needed to achieve
By Cyrus Johnson -
According to the Indiana State Department of Health, currently they are at 30.6% of residents in Union County vaccinated. This is 2,161 residents that are fully vaccinated. That is only a 2% increase from March's 28.8%. Those vaccine numbers have had a steady monthly decrease since the winter months.
During the winter, UCHD was giving out approximately 100 shots per day; now they are down to less than 30 per day. Up to this point, the health department exclusively provided the Moderna vaccine; but the department did receive one shipment of the J & J vaccine which was quickly used up in a brief period. The single shot doses are in high demand.
The Union County Health Department wants everyone to sign-on and get those numbers higher. It will take a collective community effort to expunge COVID-19 from our everyday life. “Our goal is 70%,” said Kim Klein, the UC public health nurse. “Considering our smaller population, that 70% will qualify our county for herd immunity. It's not impossible, if we can get the younger people in the clinic," she reiterated, "But, we are still far behind where we want to be."
Union County is on pace with the state numbers which are at 37%, and also doing better than neighboring Franklin County which reported a dismal 17 percent. (Brookville Democrat, April 28th)
As of May 10th, UCHD has administered 2,161 shots. Some patrons have reported fatigue and arm pain but it only lasts around 24 hours. With regard to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the CDC said this on its adverse events page, updated April 1: "To date, VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) has not detected patterns in cause of death that would indicate a safety problem with COVID-19 vaccines." UCHD’s most common vaccine is Moderna.
According to the CDC, to date the US has lost almost 595,000 souls to this disease. In comparison, in 2017 before COVID-19 was discovered, the US endured a terrible influenza season where it lost 61,000 people. That's just 10% of people lost compared to COVID-19, and those numbers are still climbing. To date, we have lost 11 people to the epidemic in Union County.
The National Guard had been assisting the UCHD with the vaccine clinic. Their presence ensured that the health department had plenty of resources available to vaccinate the entire county. Since numbers have declined, those personnel have been deployed to larger cities.
Despite losing the Guard, UCHD has expanded its COVID clinic days from 3 to 4 days a week: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Shots are available in the clinic, curbside or can be brought to the residences of those who are housebound.
Appointments can be scheduled by calling 765-458-5393. Diann Timberman, office manager, will assist patrons with registration. There is no cost to an individual for the vaccine, although insurance companies can be billed for its administration. Those without insurance are warmly welcomed to receive this service.
The health department also offers curbside COVID-19 testing. They provide both rapid and PCR (genetic-related testing) for persons who believe they may have this disease or are planning air travel in the near future. The schedule for this service varies from day to day. If a test is desired, you can schedule an appointment at scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov or call the Union County Health Department to schedule an appointment.
The clinic was grateful to have volunteers who assisted in helping patrons with their wait time, provided masks and sanitizer to residents
and even contributed snacks and homemade treats to health department staff. They want to issue a special, “thank you” to these volunteers.
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According to the Indiana State Department of Health, currently they are at 30.6% of residents in Union County vaccinated. This is 2,161 residents that are fully vaccinated. That is only a 2% increase from March's 28.8%. Those vaccine numbers have had a steady monthly decrease since the winter months.
During the winter, UCHD was giving out approximately 100 shots per day; now they are down to less than 30 per day. Up to this point, the health department exclusively provided the Moderna vaccine; but the department did receive one shipment of the J & J vaccine which was quickly used up in a brief period. The single shot doses are in high demand.
The Union County Health Department wants everyone to sign-on and get those numbers higher. It will take a collective community effort to expunge COVID-19 from our everyday life. “Our goal is 70%,” said Kim Klein, the UC public health nurse. “Considering our smaller population, that 70% will qualify our county for herd immunity. It's not impossible, if we can get the younger people in the clinic," she reiterated, "But, we are still far behind where we want to be."
Union County is on pace with the state numbers which are at 37%, and also doing better than neighboring Franklin County which reported a dismal 17 percent. (Brookville Democrat, April 28th)
As of May 10th, UCHD has administered 2,161 shots. Some patrons have reported fatigue and arm pain but it only lasts around 24 hours. With regard to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the CDC said this on its adverse events page, updated April 1: "To date, VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) has not detected patterns in cause of death that would indicate a safety problem with COVID-19 vaccines." UCHD’s most common vaccine is Moderna.
According to the CDC, to date the US has lost almost 595,000 souls to this disease. In comparison, in 2017 before COVID-19 was discovered, the US endured a terrible influenza season where it lost 61,000 people. That's just 10% of people lost compared to COVID-19, and those numbers are still climbing. To date, we have lost 11 people to the epidemic in Union County.
The National Guard had been assisting the UCHD with the vaccine clinic. Their presence ensured that the health department had plenty of resources available to vaccinate the entire county. Since numbers have declined, those personnel have been deployed to larger cities.
Despite losing the Guard, UCHD has expanded its COVID clinic days from 3 to 4 days a week: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Shots are available in the clinic, curbside or can be brought to the residences of those who are housebound.
Appointments can be scheduled by calling 765-458-5393. Diann Timberman, office manager, will assist patrons with registration. There is no cost to an individual for the vaccine, although insurance companies can be billed for its administration. Those without insurance are warmly welcomed to receive this service.
The health department also offers curbside COVID-19 testing. They provide both rapid and PCR (genetic-related testing) for persons who believe they may have this disease or are planning air travel in the near future. The schedule for this service varies from day to day. If a test is desired, you can schedule an appointment at scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov or call the Union County Health Department to schedule an appointment.
The clinic was grateful to have volunteers who assisted in helping patrons with their wait time, provided masks and sanitizer to residents
and even contributed snacks and homemade treats to health department staff. They want to issue a special, “thank you” to these volunteers.
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